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Beginner’s
Guide to Fitness
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by: Diana
Keuilian
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What
to do when you are ready to get into shape!
So you are finally ready to turn from your couch
potato ways, and trade your T.V. remote in for a
dumbbell! Congratulations, and welcome to the
wonderful world of fitness! I commend you on your
resolve to lose weight and get into shape! Now
where do you begin? These days there sure is a lot
of talk about diet and fitness, whether it is a
new diet pill or piece of exercise equipment. It
is enough to make your head spin, and certainly
enough to confuse the beginner. Take a deep
breath, and follow these simple tips to go from
being a fitness beginner to a pro!
TIP #1: GET MOVING
The first thing you need to do, as a fitness
beginner, is to start moving! I mean this
literally. Get up, and walk out your front door.
Now walk down the street. Now turn the corner.
Keep going! Do you get the picture? Start
introducing your body to fitness by going on
walks. These walks will probably start out slow
and short, but before you know it they will be
brisk and long. Try to work up a sweat as you tour
the neighborhood. Make it a habit to wake up early
to go on your walk, or consistently go on a walk
before you go to bed. These walks will get you to
start burning calories each day, and will also
begin to build your cardiovascular endurance.
TIP #2: STRETCH
Once you become a pro at walking, you will need to
add something new to your routine. Stretch before
and after your walks. Start by reaching down to
touch your toes and holding it for 30 seconds. You
will feel tightness on the backs of your legs, in
your hamstrings. Now place your palm against a
wall at chest level and turn your body away from
it. As you hold this for 30 seconds you will feel
a stretch in your chest. Most inactive people have
tight hamstring and chest muscles due to prolonged
sitting, so it should be your priority to stretch
these muscles out. You will be pleasantly
surprised at what this will do for your posture!
TIP #3: CLEAN YOUR DIET
Fitness professionals like to claim that 80% of
what your body looks like is directly related to
what you eat. In other words, if you are eating
burgers and fries and visiting the gym everyday,
you are still going to look like you are eating
burgers and fries! It is time to clean up your
diet, so you can continue on your fast track to
fitness.
· Rule #1: No more fast food. Fast food is cheap,
available, and quick, but it is far from healthy.
You are better off avoiding it completely.
· Rule #2: Eat 5 servings of fresh fruits and
vegetables everyday. Your body needs the nutrients
found in these foods, and they will fill you up
without empty calories.
· Rule #3: Eat 4-5 small meals a day, rather than
2 large ones. This will keep your metabolism high
all day, and turn you into a calorie-burning
machine!
TIP#4: JOIN A GYM
After you have mastered walking, stretching, and
have started to clean up your diet, you are ready
to join a gym. Don’t be intimidated or scared of
this concept, the gym is a friendly place where
people go to burn calories and build muscle! Find
a local gym that has a convenient location near
your home or work place. The key to making your
gym membership worth its monthly dues is to use it
consistently. Go to the gym no less than three
times a week. While you are there begin a
resistance training program as well as a
cardiovascular program.
TIP #5: FIND A BUDDY
There is no better motivator to get you to the gym
than knowing that someone is there waiting for
you. If you find yourself slacking off in your
workouts, or skipping the gym, a workout buddy
might be just what you need. Find a friend with
whom you share similar fitness goals, and become
workout buddies. Agree to meet three times a week
at the gym, and encourage each other throughout
your workout. You will find that this makes
workouts motivating and fun.
There you have it, all you need to know to get
yourself up off the coach and into a healthy, fit
lifestyle! Making the decision to get into shape
will be the best one you make in your life, and I
wish you all the best. To your health!
About the author:
Diana Keuilian, Certified Personal Trainer, and
author of “Avoid The Freshman Fifteen”, has a
proven method for avoiding college weight gain.
Visit www.AvoidTheFreshman15.comto
learn more. She is also the head Fitness Trainer
for the nation’s leading online fitness site www.HitechPersonalFitness.comand
board member of www.HitechTrainer.comLearn
more at www.Keuilian.com
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